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Ambulance response times

Mean response time for Category 2 (emergency) ambulance calls — the target is 18 minutes.

8.1 minutes
+2.5% vs 2026-05

As of 2026-06

Historical trend

Trend summary

Ambulance response times was 8.1 minutes in 2026-06, up from 7.9 minutes in 2026-05.

Trend

  • Over the available record (2017-08–2026-06), it has ranged from 6.5 minutes in 2020-05 to 11 minutes in 2022-12.
  • The latest reading is above the record average of 8.0 minutes.

Context

  • NHS England restructured ambulance call categories in 2017; Category 1 replaced the former 8-minute Red 1/Red 2 targets.
  • Response times are measured from call-connect to first resource arrival.

Generated from the published series — describes direction, magnitude and range only, with no editorial judgement or forecasts.

About this indicator

Source
NHS England
Update frequency
Monthly
Last updated
3 August 2026
Next update
3 September 2026
Licence
OGL v3
Direction
↑ Rising

Statistics

Latest
8.1 minutes
Period high
8.1 minutes
Period low
7.7 minutes
Period average
7.9 minutes